Thank you for saying it. It looks tacky. “HEY EVERYBODY! I’M CARRYING A COACH BAG AND WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW IT!!” If you want people to know you’re carrying a status bag, the only people you want to know will already know. If you know what I mean.
This is likely going to be an unpopular opinion, but as far as I’m concerned, ever since Coach started their “signature” line the brand and clientele has gone downhill. The type of people who want to carry such ostentatious bags (see also Vuitton and Fendi monogram bags) are not people concerned with quality and luxury. It’s all about the bling.
If you want a well made handbag that screams quality and luxury, go for a signature bag and by all means, leave the tags hanging off of it.
If you want a well made handbag that says nothing and yet everything, try Tod’s, Cole Haan or Vuitton Epi.
That’s not a soapbox you’re on, it’s a carton that used to hold extra-wide paint brushes.
Well, your assumption might be that I only left it there because I want everyone to know that I have a (trumpets, please) COACH HANDBAG. But the reality may be that I leave it there because I like it.
I don’t doubt that some people who leave it on do so because of the ‘bling’, but I’m pretty sure that not everyone has the same reason for doing a particular thing a particular way.
Norine, I’ve got the Classic Hobo Stone Mountain bag from the above site - I’ve had it for over 14 years (and I got it as a hand me down from a friend) and it’s still going strong.
Stone Mountain for me is perfect - it’s very good quality, but not drastically expensive. And after going through the website and seeing some pretty darn good sales, I’m a thinkin’ I might need to do a little shoppin’…
I came in here to recommend Stone Mountain. I have 2 of their bags; a big hobo that can carry everything, including a book to read, and a smaller shoulder bag for when I just need my wallet, keys, and cell phone. They’re lovely bags well-made from supple leather. And they’re much less expensive than designer bags.
I had actually been wondering about Stone Mountain because I’ve been seeing them on HSN (or was it QVC?) lately. The prices are actually not that much above what I’ve paid for bags from Target and such. If the quality’s that good, that’s probably the way I’ll go.
Considering that the tag on my bag is less than one-inch square, says “Coach” on only one side, is the same color as the rest of the hardware on the bag, and is nestled in with the zipper pull, I’m pretty comfortable with its level of “tackiness.” I don’t wear or carry ostentatious logo-wear, but neither do I feel I have some obligation to deface my accessories in order to disguise them.
I have 3 Coach bags. All are 10+ years old. I have a black shoulder purse, a brown backpack and a brief-bag. They all still look wonderful. Leather is still prefectly supple, no cracks, zippers work, hardware is shiny. I could take better care of them, I think I’ve maybe cleaned and rubbed that leather care lotion on them a couple of times. Even the back back which has been on almost every vacation I’ve taken in the last 10 years (Europe, England, Disneyland, etc) looks awesome despite the fact that I sometimes treat if like a $25 Jansport bag.
You cannot go wrong with Coach leather bags. Oh, and the service is great. The one time I had a problem (hardware break on my brief-bag), they had it fixed for me within a week and also cleaned and moisturized it…all for free. And it was several years old at that point.
ETA: I also have a Coach wallet and checkbook cover that is over 13 yrs old. They are both still in great shape and used alomost daily all this time.
WRT Ebay, a while back the Minneapolis paper had a story where they bought 5 high end bags on Ebay and took them to the stores to have the salespeople confirm if they were real or not. According to the story, not a one was the real deal. Now, who knows if the salespeople were right or not or if they had any motivation issues- like, would it be in their best interest to confirm authenticity on an Ebay purchase?- but it made me really leery of Ebay purses.
The leather Stone Mountain bags are quite lovely and soft. But the QVC ones made of raffia or linen are…well, stiff, and they have PVC on them instead of leather. Ick, seriously.
I carry an Ellington bag, pink suede. I have been VERY impressed with Ellington customer service (they literally tracked down the very last one of this style for me in the entire country and had it sent to my local store so I could buy it). Ellington makes a lot of beautiful, sturdy leather bags, in every color from basic black to WOW pink. Try a Google search on ‘Ellington Hepburn’ which comes in about 5 colors including cerulean blue. Go to shoebuy.com and peek through their inventory of Ellingtons. You’ll pay…$200-250 for a purse, get great customer service, and a bag that will wear like iron. Did I mention I love my purse?
If you like classy black leather, search Ebay for a Kate Spade bag from the Madrid collection. These are beautiful and out of production (2002) - I sold one recently because it was too big for me to carry. The customer service for Kate Spade really sucks though, ever since Liz Claiborne bought them out.
I find Coach bags too heavy to carry much (which is why I went with Ellington) although the newer, mostly-fabric ones are lighter (and scream I AM COACH!). But don’t buy a Coach on Ebay - all the new Coaches are faked.
If you want to buy a higher-end purse, unless you know exactly what you want, and how to identify genuine vs counterfeit, don’t buy on Ebay. If you can’t resist, at least go to the Clothing & Accessories board, or the Purses board (in ‘communities’) and ask the folks who post regularly on those boards to help you with specific individual auctions BEFORE you bid. If you can’t resist bidding …pay with your credit card, in case you get scammed. Ebay is so full of counterfeits, it’s hard to find genuine items.
I have a somewhat related question - I want to get a large tote or messenger-style bag in leather to use as my work “briefcase”. I can’t decide whether to get it in black or brown. Thinking about what I’ve seen from the drug reps who visit my hospital, it doesn’t seem like they make an effort to coordinate a work bag to their outfit, and they’re typically dressed to the nines otherwise. I’ve got my eye on this one specifically. Especially when going to an interview, does it matter? (If it’s more particular for an interview, I’ll choose a matching portfolio instead if the bag doesn’t match, and tote the bag around otherwise.)
This thread and the Coach bag thread inspired me to do a search and I found there’s a Coach outlet in Hagerstown, at “Prime Outlets”. I don’t know how often you go to Hagerstown (it’s an hour or so away from Cumberland) but you could stop in there the next time you’re in the neighborhood.
I’ve got 2 Coach bags, both bought when I happened across “20% off EVERYTHING” customer-appreciation coupons at Macy’s. That can be quite a savings though of course it means you’re limited to what they happen to have in stock that day (e.g. maybe not the really classic styles).
I had a Dooney and Bourke bag years back and loved it, EXCEPT that the one I chose had the handles attached by a leather flap that popped over a brass post. Yeah, it meant the handles were removable but also after a couple of years of use, it meant those flaps popped loose all too easily (despite the fact that I never played with them or removed the handles intentionally). Design flaw. Other than that I loved it. I don’t think they make 'em that way any more. This was their “all weather leather” pebbled look which is becoming scarce; they do have some items in pebbled leather, which I liked because it didn’t show scuffs etc. Most of their stuff now seems to be ugly prints.
I dunno…I’ve gone to Wilson’s Leathers for purses. You can get a heavy-duty gauge leather bag for around $100-$150. A larger one could probably go for $200-ish. They last forever. The styles are classic so you don’t need to worry about it going out of style. I’m not a purse-changer. I stick with the same bag for at least 6 months…sometimes over a year. I just need something non-silly to carry my stuff in.
I didn’t know there was a Coach outlet there! We actually go fairly often, as it’s on the way to Baltimore (where we go a lot for family functions and stuff). We’re much more apt to travel an hour to go to Hagerstown, than to travel an hour to go to Altoona, PA, or Morgantown, WV.
I broached my hubby about the subject last night. Right now, money’s a little tight (our water heater just died!), but we will be making a new bag for me a priority in the budget as soon as possible.
